This Path of Mine
by Cenonn
Summary: What if his encounter with All Might ended differently? Izuku learned the hard way about his flawed society. Now, his goal is to rebuild society even if it meant eliminating the wrong things one at a time.
1. Chapter 1

"All men are not born equal", those were the words that were engraved in his mind the moment he learned of his disability.

In the world where common folk had superpowers known as Quirks, people like him who had nothing were the odd ones. Quirkless people were seen as nothing but weak creatures who shouldn't do anything but stand in the sidelines.

"Deku! Get out of the way!" a blond boy said.

Even though his knees were shaking and his mind telling him to run away, a green-haired boy spread his arms in an attempt to protect a crying boy.

"I-It's time to stop, Kacchan! He had enough! I-If you don't stop…"

"Then what? Are you going to do something, Quirkless loser?" small explosions appeared on the blond boy's palms.

The blond boy's name was Katsuki Bakugo. Ambitious, prideful, and gifted with a powerful Quirk, his dream was to become the top hero. Everyone around him showered him with praise because of his exceptional Quirk.

Meanwhile, the green-haired boy's name was Izuku Midoriya. Like Katsuki, his dream was to become a hero. But at a young age of four, it was shattered when he learned that he was Quirkless. And ever since then, the adults pitied him and the other children treated him harshly.

And that day was the same for Izuku. Katsuki would often go overboard in playing hero and Izuku would be the one who would try to stop him. It would never go well for the green-haired boy as the day would end with him injured.

"Let's go. This Quirkless loser is just a waste of time", Katsuki said and his group left.

Izuku felt pain in his body as he stared at the sky. Every day was like this. He always received the short end of the stick. No matter how many times he tried, he knew that it was impossible for him to stop Katsuki but he still tried. Maybe it was because he wanted to become a hero so badly. He wanted to protect those who should be protected.

Years passed by and he still stared at the same sky. He was already in his second year of junior high. Izuku tried his best to breathe flame and move objects but nothing happened. He was still the Quirkless boy.

###

It was a normal morning for Izuku. There were no morning greetings for him on his way to school, as per usual since no one would befriend a Quirkless boy like him. He would spend ten minutes searching for his indoor shoes since everyone liked bullying the Quirkless kid. Just the normal morning.

The day passed by uneventfully. And just when he was about to leave, Katsuki and his group was blocking his path.

"Hey, Deku. I overheard from the faculty office. What are you thinking by applying for UA, huh?! That place is off-limits for Quirkless losers like you!" he growled.

"T-There are no rules that prevent people like me from applying. I just want to try", Izuku said.

Katsuki grabbed him by his collar and glared at him, "Listen. I'm the one who's going to be the first student to go to UA from this shitty school. I'm the only one who's going to be applying. Did I make myself clear?"

"B-But K-Kacchan-", a small explosion to the face cut off Izuku from speaking.

"Huh? What's this? 'Hero Notes for the Future'?" one of Katsuki's lackies picked up a notebook.

"Wait! That's-"

Katsuki took the notebook and released an explosion at it.

"I already told you to stop dreaming, didn't I? This belongs to the trash!" he threw it out of the window and it landed in the school's pond. The group then left the green-haired boy after Katsuki threatened him once more.

Izuku sighed. He knew that Katsuki would react that way. But his heart still refused to stop. He went to the school's pond and fished out his drenched and damaged notebook.

"This isn't trash, idiot", he muttered.

His phone then rang and when he looked at it there was a message from his mom.

_Izuku, I'm at Musutafu Mall right now. Do you have anything you want to buy?_

He replied,_ I don't really need anything right now._

He was on his way home and passed underneath a tunnel when he heard laughter.

"A medium-sized invisibility cloak…" a voice said.

Izuku turned around and he saw a slime-like substance with eyes. His gut feeling told him that it was dangerous and all of his instincts were telling him to run. However, it was too late. The slime-like substance lunged at him and covered his body.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to take over your body. Calm down. It'll only hurt for about 45 seconds. You'll feel better soon", the slime said.

_I can't… breathe...,_ Izuku thought as he tried to claw his way out.

"You can't grab me. I'm fluid! Thanks for your help. You're my hero. I didn't think **that** had come to this city", the slime told him.

_My body… There's no strength… I'm dying… Am I dying? I'm dying… Somebody... Somebody…! No…!_ Izuku thought.

The boy heard the sound of a metal being tossed away.

"It's all right now, young man. **I AM HERE!**" a blond muscular man announced.

The slime whipped some part of his body at the blond but he avoided it easily. It then formed a hand and tried to grab the man but…

"Texas Smash!" he punched and a strong gust of wind blew.

The wind was strong enough to push the slime out and separate it from Izuku.

"All… Migh…" Izuku muttered.

###

"Hey", the muscular man called out as he was tapping Izuku's cheek in order to wake him up.

"Hey! He—Oh, good!" he said when Izuku woke up.

"I'm glad you're okay! Sorry 'bout getting you caught up in my villain fighting. I don't usually make mistakes like this, but I was in high spirits on my day off in a new place", the man said and had a laugh while Izuku stared at him with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and confusion in his heart.

"But you were a big help. Thanks! I captured him safely", he showed a bottle of Torrent that contained the slime.

_The number one hero… All Might… H-He's the real thing… He looks completely different in person!_ Izuku thought.

That was one side of Izuku which a lot of people didn't know about. He was a hero nerd especially when it comes to his favorite, All Might.

"Oh, right! An a-autograph! Where should I—In that notebook—He already did!" Izuku shouted as he found out that his notebook was already signed.

"Th-Thank you very much! It'll be an heirloom! A family treasure!" he bowed deeply and repeatedly in a fast manner as he thanked the Symbol of Peace.

"Okay!" All Might replied with a thumbs-up.

"Well, I need to take this guy to the police. See you again on the other side of the screen!" All Might told him and started stretching.

"Wait, already?" Izuku asked.

"Pros are constantly fighting enemies and time", All Might answered.

_Wait. There are still… things I want to ask…_, Izuku thought.

"Well then, I'm counting on your continued support!", All Might shouted as he jumped up high in the air.

But then, he noticed that he had an unexpected passenger.

"Wait. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Let go of me! Your fanaticism is too much!" All Might shouted.

"If I… let go now… I'll… I'll die…!" Izuku retorted.

"That's true", the hero said.

"I… have… a lot of things… I want to ask you directly!"

"Okay, okay! I get it, so close your eyes and mouth!"

They landed on a building and Izuku's knees dropped to the ground.

"Th-That was scary…" Izuku said.

"Good grief. If you talk to the people downstairs, I'm sure they'll let you down. I seriously am outta time, so I really must go", All Might told him and started walking away.

"Wait! Um…"

"No! I will not wait!"

"But-"

"Even without a Quirk, can I still be a hero?! Can someone without a Quirk become a hero like you?"

Steam was coming out of All Might's body but Izuku was too focused in thinking of his next words.

"Because I don't have a Quirk, I… Well, maybe that's not the only reason but I've always been picked on. That's why… Maybe that's why… I think saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do. The way you save people with that fearless smile! I want to be the strongest hero, just like", Izuku was surprised with what he saw.

Instead of the strong muscular hero, a skinny man was standing in front of him.

"You're all shriveled up! Were you a fake? An impostor?!" Izuku asked the man.

The man looked at him straight on, "I am All Might", and coughed up blood.

"No way!"

"You know how people hold their gut in the pool? It's like that!"

"No way!"

All Might sat down, "A fearless smile, huh… You've seen the real me, kid. But don't write about it in the internet, okay?"

He grabbed his shirt and revealed a large wound.

"Five years ago… An enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed, and my stomach was removed. I've wasted away because of the aftereffects of those surgeries. I can only do my hero work for about three hours a day now", All Might said.

"Five years ago? Was that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?" Izuku asked.

"That lowlife? He could never do this to me! This was never made public. That is, I asked that it not be made public. A Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil. The reason I smile... is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel. A pro should always be ready to risk his life. Without power, can one become a hero? No, I should think not"

Izuku's energy was drained when he heard those words.

"Ah…" that was all he could say.

"If you desire to help people, becoming a police officer is always an option. Those villain custody officers are often mocked but that too is admirable work!" All Might stood up.

Izuku already knew it in his heart.

"It's not wrong to dream. However… You need to be realistic, kid", All Might then left.

###

Izuku knew it already. It was impossible. And yet he tried so hard to make the impossible possible. But his hero said it to him. He needed to be realistic.

"It's funny… I'm sad but I'm not even crying. My dream is shattered but… I guess this is because I accepted it without knowing a long time ago", he muttered.

A huge explosion occurred and Izuku looked at the direction where it came from. Fire was coming out of Musutafu Mall and some parts of it already collapsed.

_I'm at Musutafu Mall right now. Do you have anything you want to buy? _his mother's message appeared in his mind.

"Mom!" he ran full speed towards the mall.

It was dangerous. A part of the mall already collapsed and the rest of it was burning. There was a group of villains fighting two heroes.

"Someone! My mom is inside!" no one heard him since everyone was too busy watching the fight.

More heroes arrived and Izuku rushed towards them, "Heroes! My mom is inside!"

"Are you kidding me? That place is an inferno! We need someone with a water Quirk!" a hero said.

"We don't have one here right now! For the meantime, we need to capture those villains first!" a second hero ran towards the fight.

_These people are useless! _Izuku saw a familiar man among the crowd.

"All Might! You can save them! All Might!" but when All Might locked eyes with him, the hero ran away.

_A pro should always be ready to risk his life_, those were the words that All Might said… and yet he ran away.

"Hey! All Might! Come back! We need you!" Izuku tried to catch him but he was gone.

"No… way…"

###

It was already evening when the fire was extinguished. The villains were already captured.

Izuku rushed to the spot where the evacuees and rescued were located… but she was nowhere to be found…


	2. Chapter 2

_ We'll inform you if we found your mother. For now, you should go home and rest,_ those were the words of the police officer after he was escorted home.

But Izuku didn't rest. All night long, he was pacing in front of his telephone waiting for the police to call. However, there was no phone call. Izuku only ate cup noodles as he waited for the phone to ring but days passed without any news from the police.

After the fourth day, the news finally came.

###

It was a rainy day and Izuku was quietly standing in front of a grave. His clothes were drenched as he tried to process what happened.

"Poor kid. I heard his mother was his only relative", one of the attendees of the funeral said.

"First, his father abandoned them. Now his mother died. What will happen to him now?" another asked.

Izuku was silent. He wanted to cry but his heart refused to believe what happened. Hours passed by as he just stood in front of the grave. He knew it was pointless but for some reason, he hoped that everything was just a bad dream.

But the coldness of his drenched clothes made him think that it was real.

"Kid. It's time to go home", a social welfare worker said.

When he arrived home, it felt empty. There were no lights nor even a "welcome home" greeting. The smell of dinner being cooked would usually be present whenever he arrives home but without his mother, there was nothing.

Izuku went to his room and crashed on his bed.

_Why?_ he asked himself.

_A pro should always be ready to risk his life, _All Might's words echoed in his head.

But those words were lies. The heroes he admired so much didn't even attempt to save the people when things were dangerous for them. Even the Number 1 hero didn't risk his life.

"So it's all a lie?! All Might?!" Izuku tore off the hero's poster from his wall.

He picked up an action figure of the hero and threw it across the room, "Smiling so that you'll suppress your fear?! Why didn't you smile and save her?!"

Izuku destroyed his action figures, tore his posters apart, and crumpled his hero notebooks. It was the heroes' fault. They were all fakes who preach selflessness when it was convenient for them. But when things go down the drain, they were nothing but cowards.

The green-haired boy got out of his apartment and boarded a train. He didn't care where he was going. All Izuku wanted was to get away from everything. Switching trains randomly and jumping from buses, he was in an unfamiliar rural town.

"I spent all my money… I don't know where I am… What's wrong with me?" Izuku muttered.

"That's right, kid. What's wrong with you?" a voice asked.

Izuku saw an old man standing beside him.

"A kid like you waiting at a bus stop of a rural town… did you run away from home?" he asked.

"Home? I don't have one anymore… It's gone… More like it was stolen away from me", Izuku answered.

"What makes you say that?"

The green-haired boy told him everything. From his mother's tragedy to the hypocrisy of the heroes. He was lost.

"Why didn't you save your mother yourself?" the old man asked.

"If I could, then I would. But I'm Quirkless. I tried to charge towards it but a hero blocked me. If only I had power…"

"Why would you wish for power now? Your mother's dead and she wouldn't come back"

"That's true… But I need it to prevent any more tragedies"

"And how are you going to accomplish that? There's no way you could stop all tragedies"

"I will change the heroes themselves. I'll cut down the fakes! Like All Might!"

The old man assessed the boy in front of him.

"Follow me", the old man said.

Izuku, having no other things to do, walked behind the old man. After hours of walking, they arrived at an old dojo.

"What is this?" he asked.

"This is the birthplace of a Slayer", the old man answered.

He then tossed a katana at Izuku and said "You said you were Quirkless, right? Then if you seek power as a Quirkless person, being a Slayer is an option."

"What are you talking about?"

"You want to cut down the fake heroes, am I right? You even said that you'll take down All Might. Normally, it's impossible for you since you are Quirkless… but if you were to train yourself, then your ambition would not be so out of reach"

Izuku sighed, "If just training the body would be enough, then anyone can be a hero… I already accepted it so there's no-" he was cut off when an unseen force hit his body and passed out because of the extreme nausea.

###

It was already morning when he woke up. His head was still aching. He had no idea what just happened. The old man was standing a few meters away from him and yet he managed to knock him out without moving.

"Oh. You're awake. Come, let's eat", the old man said when he saw Izuku.

They sat down and began eating. When they were done, Izuku finally gave in to his curiosity, "Say, what did you do? How did you knock me out without moving? Was that your Quirk?"

"No. I'm like you. I'm born Quirkless", he answered.

"Then how?"

"Follow me"

The two of them walked outside and arrived at the base of the mountain.

"Do you know that there are physical and genetic traits that compose a person's Quirk?" the old man asked.

"Yes. It's known as the Quirk Factor", Izuku answered.

"What if I told you that Quirkless people have something like that?"

"What are you talking about?"

The old man walked towards a tree and touched its trunk.

"Slayer Art: Destruction King!" a powerful shockwave burst out of his palm and tore the tree apart. Izuku couldn't believe what he saw.

"While others have Quirk Factor, we have what we call the 'Will Factor'. This Will Factor allows us to do the impossible things like what you saw"

The old man unsheathed his sword, "Slayer Art: Crescent Moon Fang!" He swung it and a distant tree was cut into two.

"Well? Do you want this power?" he asked.

Izuku could only nod.


End file.
